The World Olympians Association said that all athletes who commit a doping offense "should be banned from the next edition of the Olympic Games and other major championships," according to Dan Palmer of THE SPORT DIGEST. In a statement, the organization, which represents more than 120,000 Olympians worldwide, "called for the reintroduction of the controversial Osaka Rule, which bars athletes convicted of serious doping offences from the next Olympics." IOC Athletes' Commission vice-Chair Tony Estanguet called for athletes who have served suspensions longer than six months to be "excluded from the next Games." The Osaka Rule -- previously Rule 45 of the Olympic Charter -- was "originally drafted to allow the IOC to prevent athletes who had received a doping sanction of more than six months from representing their country at the Games." It was "successfully challenged" by the U.S. Olympic Committee in '11 on behalf of Beijing 2008 400m champion LaShawn Merritt at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The USOC claimed the rule was "unfair because it was effectively punishing an athlete twice for the same offence and CAS agreed." The WOA called for its proposed "three-point plan" to be implemented to rid sport of cheats. This includes provisions for athletes from "tainted countries to still be allowed to compete if they are clean" (THE SPORT DIGEST, 12/12).
